The present invention relates to a plasma display system employing a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as "PDP").
In recent years, a plasma display system employing an AC surface-discharge PDP is expected as a promising large-sized, thin-profile color display system. The structure of the AC surface-discharge PDP will be described below. Most of the PDPs of this type are of a three-electrode structure. Two base plates, a front glass base plate and a rear glass base plate, are arranged opposite to each other with a specific gap put therebetween. A plurality of pairs of line electrodes are formed on the inner surface (opposite to the rear glass base plate) serving as a display screen, of the front glass base plate. The line electrodes are covered with a dielectric substance. A plurality of column electrodes coated with phosphor are formed on the rear glass base plate. The column electrodes may be covered with a dielectric substance. The intersection portion of one pair of the line electrodes and one column electrode, as seen from the display screen side, constitutes one discharge cell. A space between both the base plates is filled with a discharge gas (typically, a mixed gas of two kinds or more of He, Ne, Xe, Ar and the like). The discharge gas causes discharge when a voltage pulse is applied between the electrodes, and ultraviolet light generated from the excited discharge gas is converted into visible light by the phosphor. For the color display, a set of three kinds of cells generally form one pixel. The line electrodes which perform sustaining of discharge for main light emission, are called the electrodes for sustaining discharge.
The realization of a large-sized display by employing such a PDP increases the amount of a current to be supplied to the electrodes, giving rise to a problem in increasing the power consumption. To reduce the power consumption, it is effective to improve the efficiency of luminescence during discharge in the PDP.
When dimensions of each cell are reduced to increase definition of the display image, that is, to increase the number of pixels, a loss in energy for producing plasma is increased, which causes a problem of lowering the efficiency of luminescence.
Techniques for improving the efficiency of luminescence are already known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. Hei 8-22772 and Hei 3-187125 disclose a technique in which the size and shape of each electrode for sustaining discharge are designed to improve the efficiency of luminescence. Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. Hei 7-262930 and Hei 8-315734 disclose a technique in which the material of a dielectric substance covering each electrode for sustaining discharge is designed to improve the efficiency of luminescence.